The cold wind howled, and the land lay blanketed in snow. Few cultivators knew that even in this golden autumn of the ninth month, a corner of the Jade Cauldron Domain remained locked in winter's grasp. Yet this desolate-looking place was actually not desolate at all.
Amid the endless snow, streaks of light occasionally flashed across the sky, hinting at the presence of life. As the lights returned, a place with architecture starkly different from the rest of the Jade Cauldron Domain gradually came into view.
The Ice Fortress rose tall, round at the base and sharp at the peak. From the outermost layer inward, towering castles forged from glacial ice rose higher and higher. Several female cultivators descended from the sky and entered one of the fortresses to report in.
"Daoist Uncle, this is a second-tier snow fox the three of us killed together. It took us a lot of effort," one of them said.
"That's right, Daoist Uncle, you'd better grant us some extra merit points this time!" another chimed in.
"What? The fur is still intact. Why are you deducting thirty percent of our merit? Daoist Uncle, you're too stingy."
The three early-stage Initiates left the Miscellaneous Hall still grumbling. Each wore a look of dejection. They had gone to great lengths to kill a second-tier snow fox, yet they had received very little merit. At this rate, how long would it take to save enough for a Jade Dew Pill?
"They say the Jade Dew Pill is especially effective for us ladies. I really want to try it!" one said eagerly.
"That's not just a rumor. Do you know Junior Sister Shi Lan? She's only been in Foundation Establishment for about ten years, but she has already reached the middle stage. It was all thanks to the large supply of Jade Dew Pills she obtained."
"Hiss! Is it really so incredible?"
"Well, of course, it's not only the Jade Dew Pills. Junior Sister Shi Lan has Senior Sister Tantai's favor and the support of her family elders, and she's also skilled at making money. That's how she reached the fourth stage so quickly."
"Plenty of others have similar conditions. I'd say the main factor is still the Jade Dew Pills."
"Too bad Jade Dew Pills are now reserved only for True Inheritor disciples, and not just any, only the most favored ones under the elders."
"That's what puzzles me. Shi Lan wasn't anything special at first. So how did she manage to receive Jade Dew Pills ahead of everyone else?"
"I can tell you that. She's on good terms with the guest elder who refines the Jade Dew Pills. He even sent her a congratulatory gift personally after she broke through to Foundation Establishment."
When they mentioned the guest elder who refined the Jade Dew Pills, one name surfaced in their minds—Dan Chenzi!
He was the master alchemist who had outshone the new generation of Green Pill Valley's Seven Prodigies, his name resounding across the Jade Cauldron Domain! It was even rumored that he possessed terrifying combat abilities and had once slain a Golden Core Adept while still only at the Foundation Establishment Realm!
A man of such caliber inspired awe merely by the mention of his name or his deeds. Had he been a disciple of a great sect, such talent might have been expected. Yet he was born a rogue cultivator, and that fact only made him even more admirable.
"I've always heard he was supposed to come to our Ice Fortress, but I've never seen him. I'd love to witness his presence just once!" one of them exclaimed.
"Witness his presence? More like you want to cozy up to him for a few bottles of Jade Dew Pills!" another teased her.
"You brat, you mean you don't? You'd probably cling to him even faster than I would!"
"Heehee..."
Their laughter swept away much of the gloom that had weighed on them earlier. With their task completed, the three had a long period of rest ahead and decided to wander idly through the sect.
By the time they reached the foot of Heavenly Mountain, their gazes lifted upward, eyes brimming with envy. This mountain was the only third-tier spirit land within the territory of the Ice Fortress. Smaller hills stretched outward from its slopes and formed scattered second-tier spirit lands, each with a corresponding cave residence. Yet even those second-tier cave residences were beyond the reach of ordinary Foundation Establishment disciples.
Only those who advanced to the rank of True Inheritor were automatically granted one of such cave residences. Others had to rely on the annual rotation to enjoy the blessing of the spirit land for a short while or to exchange a vast amount of merit points for limited cultivation time within those lands.
The foundation of the Ice Fortress could never truly match that of the major sects within the Jade Cauldron Domain. They had nurtured nine Golden Core cultivators and that exhausted their resources altogether, leaving no further room for growth.
Suddenly, one of the female disciples spotted a young man standing atop a peak with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Who is that senior brother? I've never seen him before," she asked in surprise.
"That's odd. I haven't seen him either. He looks young, and his cultivation isn't that high. How could he be using a second-tier mid-grade cave residence?" another remarked.
"Wait, I think I know him. His name is Xu-something. Isn't he one of Elder Dan Chenzi's subordinates?"
At these words, a strange light flickered in all three of their eyes.
"Why don't we go up and greet him?" one suggested.
"I am afraid that might be inappropriate," another hesitated.
"What's improper about it? He's standing outside the cave, it's not like he's in seclusion. It's the perfect chance to chat and... exchange cultivation insights."
"Let's go. I'm curious to hear what the cultivation world outside the Ice Fortress is like."
Thus, while Xu Xiaoliu waited in vain for a reply from the Ice Fortress higher-ups, he unexpectedly found himself surrounded by three beautiful female cultivators eager to strike up a lively conversation.
***
On the heights of Heavenly Mountain, two figures glanced down at the scene below without much concern. Their eyes lifted soon after, fixed on the vast snowstorm rolling endlessly across the horizon.
Within that boundless storm, a faint black line flickered in and out of sight, revealing a continuous stretch of towering, snow-covered peaks. That distant range was none other than the Great Snow Mountains; within stretched chains of mountains lay hidden within the storm. In that frozen wilderness, legend spoke of the existence of a fourth-tier spirit land.
"The Falling Cloud Sect's promise cannot be trusted," came a soft and elegant voice.
Amid the bleak winds, the voice rang out like the song of a sea sprite. The sound was so entrancing it felt almost unreal. And it was not only her voice that enchanted; her face held a beauty so rare that even Adept Yinyue of the Ice Fortress, famed for her charm and allure, appeared dim in comparison.
Still, what commanded respect was not her appearance, but her strength. She was Fairy Ice Torrent, Supreme Elder of the Ice Fortress, a ninth-stage Golden Core cultivator. Rumor claimed that she stood on the very brink of Perfected Mastery, just a single step away from the Nascent Soul Realm.
Fairy Ruthless frowned when she heard these words. "Could it be that the Falling Cloud Sect's promise to help us seize the Great Snow Mountains was nothing more than empty talk?"
A faint smile touched Fairy Ice Torrent's lips. "They never said when they would help us. It could be ten years, a hundred, or even a thousand years from now. And by then, you and I will have already passed on. Do you truly believe the Ice Fortress could ever return to the height it enjoys today?"
Nine Adepts had already pushed the sect to the limit of what its foundation could sustain. Any further progress was impossible. Even if one or two more Adepts appeared, the sect could not afford them. With the insufficient depth of its heritage, the Ice Fortress simply lacked the strength to support so many.
In the end, the struggle for scarce resources would only turn inward, leaving the sect itself torn apart. Had this not already begun? Within just a century, nine Adepts had splintered into five factions. In any other great sect, such a division would have been nothing short of laughable.
"Then what should we do?" Fairy Ruthless asked worriedly.
If the Ice Fortress could not expand, then once the next generation—disciples like Bingpo and Tantai Jin—formed their cores, turmoil within the sect was inevitable.
Fairy Ice Torrent pressed her lips together.
Her slender fingers held a sheet of rice paper. Under the cold sunlight, the words upon it seemed to retain the lingering warmth of the hand that had written them.